A Place Called Home
by Sukura
Summary: On the way to meet an important client, teh Dursley's accidentally leave five years old Harry Potter behind outside a small restaurant. All alone with only a small black dog as his companion, Harry goes on a search to find the home he has always wanted.


Declaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does  
  
A Place Called Home  
  
Chapter One  
  
"Mommy, I'm hungry," five year old Dudley Dursley whined from the back seat of his father's new sedan, as it drove swiftly down the highway.  
  
"You just had three sandwiches and two cupcakes before we left," Dudley's father, Vernon Dursley said from the driver's seat.  
  
"Vernon," Dudley's mother, Petunia Dursley, scolded her husband. " Our Dudley is a growing boy, he needs all the food he can get. Isn't that right Dudley-kins." Mrs. Dursley said turning her head to get a good look at her pudgy son, who smiled smugly back through his jam covered mouth.  
  
"As soon as we get to Marchmont Building we'll stop and get Dudley something more to eat." Mr. Dursley said with a frustrated sigh.  
  
"But I'm hungry now," Dudley pouted, slamming his fist into the seat over and over. " I want food now, not latter. I want it NOW, NOW, NOW, NOW." he yelled again and again. Tears building in his pink piggy little eyes as his face became red and blotchy. His fist pounding harder into the seat as his fat little legs kicked the back of his father's seat.  
  
"Dudley," his father warned him, then flinched at the look his wife gave him. In a gentler tone he added. "Look I know your hungry, but your going to have to wait. Daddy has got to be at the Marchmont Building by two o'clock or Daddy will lose a very important account and Daddy can't afford to lose that account, Daddy's job is riding on that account."  
  
Ignoring his father, Dudley continued to kick and scream in the back seat.  
  
"Maybe we should stop and get Dudley something to eat. The poor dear, he's probably starving to death. You know that he gets cranky when his blood sugar gets to low from not eating." Mrs. Dursley said as she twisted a handkerchief in her hand.  
  
"No, no, no, no I won't stop, I have half an hour to get there. I don't have time to stop. It will be a miracle if I get there in time as it is. "Mr. Dursley said as he stepped harder on the gas petal.  
  
"It would only take a few minutes, " Mrs. Dursley persisted.  
  
"No," was his curt answer through clenched teeth as he gripped the steering wheel as though squeezing someone's throat.  
  
"Your son is starving back there and all you can think about is getting to your stupid meeting on time. You never think of anyone else. "  
  
"I'm not stopping and that's final."  
  
The sedan roared down the street weaving through the traffic.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Sitting quietly in the corner of the back seat starring out the window was another little child. Harry Potter didn't dare speak, unless he wanted to get yelled at. So he sat quietly and tried to ignore Dudley's loud screams, but it was hard when once in a while one of Dudley's failing fist would accidentally on purpose hit him, hard.  
  
Harry let out a long sigh and flinched as Dudley's clenched fist hit him once again. Rubbing his sore arm in pain, Harry turned his head so he could watch as his cousin threw one of the biggest tantrums Harry had ever seen. All this because his uncle wouldn't stop to get Dudley something to eat. It amazed Harry how much his cousin could consume. There were times that Harry thought his cousin might explode, Dudley was always eating. Feeling his stomach growl in sympathy, Harry moved one of Dudley's picture books in front of the swinging fist and listened with satisfaction when Dudley cries went up a notch in volume.  
  
Harry was hungry too; he'd had a few slices of dry bread crust before they had left. It was nothing compared to what Dudley had gotten. But Harry had eaten every last crumb and was very grateful the Dursley's had given him anything to eat in the first place. It was painfully obvious even to a little boy that his Aunt and Uncle didn't like him very much. Harry could have even said they hated him. As much as he tried to be the best little boy in the world, it was never enough for his Aunt and Uncle. They always found something wrong and if they couldn't find anything wrong they would make something up and still yell at him.  
  
Harry knew that his parents had died when he was really little and that was why he had to live with his Aunt and Uncle. There were nights when Harry would dream about what it would be like if his parents hadn't died in the car crash, how wonderful life would be if they were still alive. His parents would love him and tell him that he was a good little boy and in his dreams he had the family he always long for. But the dreams didn't last forever, far to soon the dream would be over and he was back at the Dursley's, under the stairs in his little cupboard and he would have to start a new day with the Dursleys. Waiting patiently for night to come so he could go back to his parents.  
  
Once again turning away from his cousin and looking out the window, Harry notice that his uncle had pulled off the highway and was now heading to a small town with a big welcome billboard saying "Welcome to Evenson Township" this looked like a real nice place. Harry decided that this was the kind of place he would have lived at with his parents in his dream. Harry smiled a bit at that as he lost himself in his thoughts.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
" Mommy, I'm hungry," Dudley wailed, he had stopped kicking and screaming when he noticed his father was ignoring him, now he was trying the crying- nobody-loves me routine (which has never failed yet) "Why" sob "does Daddy" sob "hate" sob "me?"  
  
Mrs. Dursley turned completely around so she was facing he son and tenderly reached out her hand and wiped away his tears. "Daddy doesn't hate you," she said softly. " Daddy's just being a self-centered bully." Aiming that last statement at her husband who just snorted and gripped the steering wheel harder.  
  
"I'm. Not. Stopping!" He said, emphasizing each word through clenched teeth, which just made Dudley cry even more.  
  
"Look, there's a nice little restaurant," Mrs. Dursley said as she pointed at a restaurant called, The Dew Drop Inn, down the street. "Let's stop there to get a bite to eat."  
  
"No"  
  
"It would only be ten to fifteen minutes, we'll just step in and get a bite to eat and leave."  
  
"No"  
  
"Vernon Dursley" Mrs. Dursley said in her warning voice. " You will stop this car, so we can get your poor starving son something to eat."  
  
"But the Marchmont account."  
  
"Stop this car right this instant!"  
  
"Alright, alright, but only for fifteen minutes and not a minute more, I will not wait, I'll leave you if I have to," Mr. Dursley warned thinking at last, now there will be some peace and quite, his head was killing him from Dudley's screaming for the last half-hour.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Harry came out of his daydreaming when he noticed the car had stopped. Looking around in amazement Harry wondered if they were there yet. Harry saw Dudley bouncing excitedly nest to him, his round little belly juggling at each bounce. Dudley scurried out of the car in a hurry as his mother opened the car door practically knocking her out of the way as he ran to the small café, drooling all the way, as he was followed closely behind by his mother.  
  
Mr. Dursley turned around in his seat so he was facing Harry. "You are to stay in the car and not to make a sound, understood." Mr. Dursley said glaring at his five-year-old nephew.  
  
Harry nodded timidly.  
  
Mr. Dursley glared at he nephew for a few more seconds then followed his wife and son into the small café.  
  
Harry wanted to cry but he knew better then to cry. The Dursley's didn't like it when he cried. But still there was only so much that a little boy could take and right now he was at his limits. Harry was so miserable. His only family hated him and called him a freak; everyone bullied him at school, with Dudley leading them on. His arm hurt form all the times that Dudley had kicked him and he was hungry, but most of all he was lonely. He wanted a family, someone, who would care for him, someone who wouldn't call him a freak and make him do all the work. Someone who wouldn't lock him in a cupboard and give him hand me down clothes. Harry wanted a place that was truly his home, where he was welcome with open arms, where he was loved.  
  
Without even realizing what he was doing, Harry began to cry. He couldn't stop himself and even if he could, he didn't want to. It had been so long since he had really allowed himself to cry. Harry remembered crying a lot soon after he came to live with the Dursley's. He had missed his parents and didn't understand why his parents where gone and why they had left him with these mean people. He had missed them so much and he wanted to be with them, so he cried and the Dursley yelled at him and punished him for being such a baby. But that was so long ago and Harry could barely remember it, all he knew was that he wasn't supposed to cry. At this moment Harry didn't care, He buried his face in his hands and cried in the backseat of his Uncle's car. Harry didn't know how long he cried, he became vaguely aware that there was a dog barking outside. Wiping his tears away, Harry looked out his window to see a small long hair black dog staring up at him with his red tongue hanging out of his mouth.  
  
Harry just stared at the dog as the dog stared right back at him. Barking again the little dog began to jump up and down, wagging it tail excitedly. Smiling to himself Harry opened the car door and jumped out closing it behind him without even a second thought. The dog wagged it's tail as it ran up to Harry, jumping on his legs. Harry laughed as he got to his knee and drew the dog into a big hug.  
  
"I wish Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would let me keep you," Harry said to the small dog, who just tilted his head and stared up at Harry.  
  
In a movement that startled Harry, the small dog licked Harry's face and wiggled out of the boy's grip. The dog turned around, barked a few times and ran away.  
  
"Wait," Harry cried as he got to his feet and ran after the dog into the small wooded area across the road from the small café.  
  
It wasn't long before Harry noticed that the dog wasn't trying to get away from him. It just wanted to play. So Harry played, and it was the most fun he'd had in a very long time. But as the time began to slip away, Harry knew that he was going to get into trouble if he didn't get back to the car before the Dursley's did. His Uncle would kill him if he had to look for Harry.  
  
Hearing a small whine from the small black dog, the black haired boy leaned down and patted it's head. " I have to go back," Harry said sadly to the dog. " or I'm going to be in a lot of trouble. I can't take you with me. My Aunt and Uncle won't like you. I gotta go."  
  
But the little dog didn't listen; it followed closely behind as Harry made his way out of the little woods and emerged on the road in front of the little restaurant. Making his way to the parking lot, he hoped that his Aunt and Uncle were still eating, as Harry headed to the parking lot he couldn't see his Uncle's car. Worried, Harry began to look desperately around but there was no sign of the car. Worried he soon began to panic when little Harry realized that the Dursley's had left him behind.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
This is the end of chapter one, I hope you enjoyed it and please review so I know that you want me to continue it.  
  
I would like to thank my uncle for proof reading it for me, without him I would have never have posted it. 


End file.
